Display device having a bending region

ABSTRACT

A display device includes a substrate having a first region in which an image is displayed, a second region in which an image is not displayed, and a bending region connecting the first region and the second region. The bending region is configured to bend along a bending axis which extends in a first direction. A plurality of pad terminals is disposed within the second region. A first width of the bending region, measured along the first direction, is narrower than a second width of the second region, measured along the first direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/628,299, filed Jun. 20, 2017, which claims priority to and thebenefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0076879 filed, in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, on Jun. 20, 2016, the entirecontents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a display device, and moreparticularly, to a non-quadrangular display device having a bendingregion.

DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART

Display devices include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma displaypanel (PDP), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a fieldeffect display (FED), an electrophoretic display device, and the like.

Particularly, the OLED display includes two electrodes and an organicemission layer positioned therebetween. Electrons are injected from oneelectrode and holes are injected from the other electrode. The injectedelectrons and holes are joined with each other in the organic emissionlayer to generate excitons, and the excitons emit energy in the form oflight.

The OLED display is self-luminating and therefore does not require aseparate light source. Accordingly, OLED displays may be thinner andlighter than LCDs, which require separate light sources. Also, the OLEDdisplay has relatively low power consumption, high luminance, and a highresponse speed.

SUMMARY

A display device includes a substrate having a first region in which animage is displayed, a second region in which an image is not displayed,and a bending region connecting the first region and the second region.The bending region is configured to bend along a bending axis whichextends in a first direction. A plurality of pad terminals is disposedwithin the second region. A first width of the bending region, measuredalong the first direction, is narrower than a second width of the secondregion, measured along the first direction.

A display device includes a first region of a display substrate in whichan image is displayed and a second region of the display substrate inwhich a plurality of pad terminals is disposed. A bending regionconnects the first region and the second region. The display substrateis configured for bending within the bending region such that the secondregion is folded in towards the first region. The first region issubstantially rounded in shape such as a circular shape or an ovalshape, and an average width of the bending region is less than anaverage width of the second region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and many of theattendant aspects thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomesbetter understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic top plan view of a display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of an unfolded state of a substrate of adisplay device of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 (A) and (B) are side views of a display device of FIG. 1 andFIG. 2, respectively;

FIG. 4 is a view of a pad terminal and a connection wire disposed in abending region and a pad region according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line V-V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a region A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view of a variation of a connection wire of FIG. 5 accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the display area of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line X-X of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a size of a display device according toan exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 to FIG. 15 are views illustrating variations of a bending regionof FIG. 2 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a variation of a pad region of FIG. 1 inaccordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Thedescribed exemplary embodiments may be modified in various differentways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. Like reference numerals may designate like elementsthroughout the specification.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, lines,etc., may be exaggerated for clarity. It will be understood that when anelement such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to asbeing “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element orintervening elements may also be present.

Now, a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top plan view of a display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top plan viewof an unfolded state of a substrate of a display device of FIG. 1. FIGS.3 (A) and (B) are side views of a display device of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2,respectively. FIG. 4 is a view of a pad terminal and a connection wiredisposed in a bending region and a pad region. FIG. 5 is across-sectional view taken along a line V-V of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is anenlarged view of a region A of FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along a line VII-VII of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a view of a variation ofa connection wire of FIG. 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8, a display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a substrateSUB, a plurality of pad terminals PAD, and a flexible circuit board 400.A bending region P2 connecting a first region (hereinafter, a displayregion P1) and a second region (hereinafter, a pad region P3),positioned on the substrate SUB, is bent along an axis extending in afirst direction (an X-axis direction in the drawings) such that the padregion P3 may overlap the display region P1. Also, a first width W1 ofthe bending region P2 may be smaller than a second width W2 of the padregion P3.

Referring to FIG. 1, the display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention may include the display region P1,the bending region P2, and the pad region P3. The display region P1, thebending region P2, and the pad region P3 may be positioned on thesubstrate SUB.

The display region P1 may be a region displaying an image. The displayregion P1 may be divided into a display area DA and a periphery area PA.A display panel 100 (referring to FIG. 9), which emits light, may bepositioned within the display area DA. Also, a plurality of connectionwires CL (referring to FIG. 4), which may drive the display panel 100,may be positioned within the periphery area PA. Hereafter, some of thecomponents formed on the substrate SUB will be described. It is to beunderstood, however, that additional components, not described herein,may also be formed on the substrate SUB.

First, the display panel 100 formed in the display area DA of thesubstrate SUB will be described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the display area of FIG. 1, and FIG. 10 isa cross-sectional view taken along a line X-X of FIG. 9.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thedisplay panel 100 includes first gate wires GW1, second gate wires GW2,data wires DW, a display part 140, and a pixel 150.

A gate driver 210 receives a control signal from an external controlcircuit, such as a timing controller. The gate driver 210 sequentiallysupplies a scan signal to a first scan line SC2-SC2 n or a second scanline SC1-SC2 n-1 included in the first gate wires GW1 or the second gatewires GW2. Here, n is a positive integer.

Thus, the pixel 150 is selected by the scan signal and is sequentiallysupplied with a data signal. Here, the gate driver 210 may be disposedin a first driving chip 410 on the flexible circuit board 400.

The first gate wires GW1 are positioned on the substrate SUB with thefirst insulating layer GI1 interposed therebetween, and the first gatewires GW1 extend in the first direction (e.g. X-axis direction). Thefirst gate wires GW1 include a second scan line SC2 n-1 and an emissioncontrol line En.

The second scan line SC2 n-1 is connected to the gate driver 210 and issupplied with the scan signal from the gate driver 210. The emissioncontrol line En is connected to an emission control driver 220 and issupplied with the emission control signal from the emission controldriver 220. Here, the emission control driver 220, like the gate driver210, may be disposed in the first driving chip 410 on the flexiblecircuit board 400.

The second gate wires GW2 are disposed on the first gate wires GW1 withthe second insulating layer GI2 interposed therebetween. The second gatewires GW2 extend in the first direction. The second gate wires GW2include the first scan line SC2 n and an initialization power lineVinit.

The first gate wires GW1 and the second gate wires GW2 do not overlapeach other.

The first scan line SC2 n is connected to the gate driver 210 and issupplied with the scan signal from the gate driver 210. Theinitialization power line Vinit is connected to the gate driver 210 andis applied with initialization power from the gate driver 210.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the initializationpower line Vinit receives initialization power from the gate driver 210.The initialization power line Vinit may additional be connected toanother component and the initialization power may be applied to theinitialization power line Vinit from this other component.

The emission control driver 220 sequentially supplies the emissioncontrol signal to the emission control line En in response to thecontrol signal, which is provided from an external source such as thetiming controller. Thus, the emission of the pixel 150 is controlled bythe emission control signal.

For example, the emission control signal controls an emission time ofthe pixel 150. However, the emission control driver 220 may be omittedaccording to some pixel 150 structures.

A data driver 230 supplies the data signal to the data line Dam, amongthe data wires DW, in response to the control signal supplied from anexternal source, such as the timing controller. The data signal suppliedto the data line Dam is supplied to the pixel 150, selected by the scansignal, whenever the scan signal is supplied to the first scan line SC2n or the second scan line SC2 n-1. Thus, the pixel 150 is charged to thevoltage corresponding to the data signal and light is emitted from thepixel with a luminance corresponding to the data signal voltage. Here,the data driver 230 may be disposed in the first driving chip 410 on theflexible circuit board 400, as is the gate driver 210.

The data wires DW are disposed on the second gate wires GW2 via thethird insulating layer ILD interposed therebetween and extend in thesecond direction crossing the first direction. The data wires DW includea data line DA1-DAm and a driving power line ELVDDL. The data line Damis connected to the data driver 230 and is supplied with the data signalfrom the data driver 230. The driving power line ELVDDL is connected toan external first power source ELVDD, and the driving power line ELVDDLis supplied with the driving power from the first power source ELVDD.

In this case, the driving power line ELVDDL and the data line Dam may beformed as part of the same layer on the third insulating layer ILD.However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the drivingpower line ELVDDL and the data line Dam may be formed as part ofdifferent layers.

For example, the driving power line ELVDDL may be formed as part of thesame layer as the first gate wire GW1, and the data line Dam may beformed as part of the same layer as the second gate wire GW2. Incontrast, the driving power line ELVDDL may be formed as part of thesame layer as the second gate wire GW2 and the data line DAm may beformed as part of the same layer as the first gate wire GW1.

The display part 140 includes a plurality of pixels 150 positioned wherethe first gate wires GW1, the second gate wires GW2, and the data wiresDW cross. Here, each pixel 150 includes an organic light emittingelement that emits light with a luminance corresponding to a drivingcurrent of the data signal. A pixel circuit controls the driving currentflowing to the organic light emitting element.

The pixel circuit is connected to the first gate wires GW1, the secondgate wires GW2, and the data wires DW. The organic light emittingelement is connected to the pixel circuit. The pixel 150 is described asan organic light emitting element, however the pixel 150 of the displaydevice according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention isnot limited thereto, and the pixel 150 may be a liquid crystal displayelement or an electrophoretic display element.

The organic light emitting element of the display part 140 is connectedto the external first power source ELVDD with the pixel circuitinterposed therebetween, and the organic light emitting element is alsoconnected to a second power source ELVSS. The first power source ELVDDand the second power source ELVSS respectively supply the driving powerand the common power to the pixel 150 of the display part 140. The pixel150 emits light with a luminance corresponding to the driving currentfrom the first power source ELVDD, through the organic light emittingelement, in response to the data signal which depends on the drivingpower and the common power supplied to the pixel 150.

As described above, in the display device, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, the first gate wires GW1 and thesecond gate wires GW2 are disposed transverse to the pixel 150 in thefirst direction. The first and second gate wires GW1 and GW2 do notoverlap each other and are not formed within the same layer, but rather,the first gate wires GW1 and the second gate wires GW2 are respectivelydisposed within different layers. The second insulating layer GI2 may bedisposed between the first and second gate wires GW1 and GW2.Accordingly, a distance W between the gate wires adjacent to each othermay be decreased, thereby forming more pixels 150 within the same area.For example, the high resolution display device may be formed.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, according to exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention, the substrate SUB may have a plane shape in whichat least part of an edge thereof is rounded in the display region P1.For example, the edge of the display region P1, which is adjacent to thebending region P2, may be made with the rounded shape.

For example, in FIG. 2, the edges S1 and S2 of the display region P1 maybe made with the rounded shape. In this case, when the substrate SUB hasthe circular or oval plane shape, the edges S1 and S2 of the displayregion P1 may correspond to the rounded shape.

Where the substrate SUB has a circular plane shape in the display regionP1, the display area DA and the periphery area PA may have the circularplane shape. Here, the edge of the display area DA may be formed withthe circular shape, and the edge of the periphery area PA enclosing thedisplay area DA may also be formed with the circular shape.

In the display area DA, a plurality of pixels 150 are disposed in thedisplay panel 100, and some of the plurality of pixels 150 may bedisposed along the edge of the display area DA. As described above, theplurality of signal lines such as the data line Dam and the scan lineSCn in the display panel 100 may be disposed in the display area DA. Forexample, the plurality of signal lines may transmit the scan signal orthe data signal.

Alternatively, a plurality of connection wires CL (referring to FIG. 4)connected to the plurality of signal lines may be disposed in theperiphery area PA. The plurality of connection wires CL may be connectedto a plurality of pad terminals PAD of the pad region P3 through thebending region P2.

The bending region P2 is disposed between the display region P1 and thepad region P3 and connects the display region P1 and the pad region P3to each other. The substrate SUB is bent in the bending region P2, andthe pad region P3 may be disposed at the rear surface of the displayregion P1. For example, the pad region P3 may overlap the display regionP1.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the state that the substrate SUB is unfolded,the display region P1, the bending region P2, and the pad region P3 arearranged in the stated order in the second direction (e.g. the Y-axisdirection). If the bending region P2 is bent along the axis extending inthe first direction (e.g. the X-axis), as shown in FIG. 1, the padregion P3 may be disposed at the rear surface of the display region P1.Accordingly, the pad region P3 and the display region P1 may be disposedto be separated from each other in the third direction (e.g. the Z-axisdirection). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, andthe pad region P3 may be in contact with the display region P1.

In this case, if the bending region P2 is bent, the substrate SUB of thebending region P2 may be folded in on itself. For example, in thebending region P2, an angle formed between the regions P1 and P3 may bebetween 0 and 90 degrees.

In the bending region P2, if the angle formed between the regions P1 andP3 is about 0 degrees, as described above, the display region P1 and thepad region P3 may be extended substantially parallel to each other andoverlapped with each other.

Also, if the angle formed by the substrate SUB, as it is folded to faceitself is about 0 degrees, the pad region P3 might not overlap thedisplay region P1, but rather, the pad region P3 may overlap the part ofthe bending region P2. For example, the pad region P3 is disposed at therear surface of the bending region P2, thereby the pad region P3 and thebending region P2 may be disposed to be parallel to each other.

Also, when the angle formed by the substrate SUB facing itself isgreater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees, the pad region P3 maybe obliquely disposed at the rear surface of the display region P1.

On the other hand, as the bending region P2 is bent, the angle formed bythe display region P1 and the pad region P3 may be about 90 degrees. Forexample, the display region P1 and the pad region P3 may be disposed tobe perpendicular to each other.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, according to exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention, the first width W1 of the bending region P2 maybe formed to be narrower than the second width W2 of the pad region P3.The first width W1 and the second width W2 represent a length parallelto the first direction of the bending region P2 and the pad region P3.For example, the width of the pad region P3 where a plurality of padterminals PAD is disposed and the width of the bending region P2 areformed to be different, and the width of the particularly pad region P3is formed to be larger than the width of the bending region P2.

As described above, if the first width W1 of the bending region P2 isformed narrower than the second width W2 of the pad region P3, in thedisplay device, the size of the bezel surrounding the display region P1and/or the size of the case enclosing the surroundings of the displayregion P1 may be reduced. This will be described in detail withreference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a view comparing a size of a display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, in the comparative example A, each size R1′ andR2′ of the display area DA′ of the display area P1′ and the peripheryarea PA′ is semantically the same as each size R and R2 of the displayarea DA of the display region P1 and the periphery area PA in thepresent exemplary embodiment B (R1′=R1, R2′=R2). Also, the width L1′ ofthe pad region P3′ of the comparative example A and the width L1 of thepad region P3 of the present exemplary embodiment B are substantiallythe same.

Further, an interval L4 of the edge of the display area P1′ and the edgeof the bent bending region P2′ in the comparative example A and theinterval L4 of the edge of the display region P1 of the presentexemplary embodiment B and the edge of the bent bending region P2 aresubstantially the same. For example, in the comparative example A andthe present exemplary embodiment B, the bending regions P2 and P2′protrude from the edge of the display areas P1 and P1′ to substantiallythe same size extent.

Alternatively, the width L2 of the bending region P2′ of the comparativeexample A is formed to be larger than the width L3 of the bending regionP2 of the present exemplary embodiment B.

Resultantly, in the comparative example A and the present exemplaryembodiment B, the widths L2 and L3 of the bending regions P2 and P2′ aredifferent from each other, and the sizes of the rest of the displayareas P1 and P1′ and the pad regions P3 and P3′ are all substantiallythe same.

In the comparative example A, it is assumed that a circular case C1encloses the display device in which the pad region P3′ is disposed atthe rear surface of the display area P1′. Here, to enclose all of thebending region P2′ within the case C1, an inner side of the circularedge of the case C1 may be in contact with both edges of the bendingregion P2′ at a minimum.

Alternatively, in the present exemplary embodiment B, like thecomparative example A, it is assumed that a circular case C2 enclosesthe display device in which the pad region P3 is disposed at the rearsurface of the display area P1. Likewise, to enclose all of the bendingregion P2 within the case C2, the inner side of the circular edge of thecase C2 may be in contact with both edges of the bending region P2 at aminimum.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the minimum size of the circular caseC1 of the comparative example A is formed to be larger than the minimumsize of the circular case C2 of the present exemplary embodiment B. Forexample, when comparing the embodiment (the comparative example A) inwhich the width L2 of the bending region P2′ is the same size as thewidth L1′ of the pad region P3′ with the embodiment (the presentexemplary embodiment B) in which the width L3 of the bending region P2is formed to be smaller than the width L1 of the pad region P3, the caseC1 of the embodiment in which the width L2 of the bending region P2′ isthe same as the width L1′ of the pad region P3′ is formed larger.

Resultantly, like the present exemplary embodiment B, if the width L3 ofthe bending region P2 is smaller than the width L1 of the pad region P3,the size of the case C2 enclosing the display device may be reduced.Also, if the size of the case C2 is reduced, the size of the bezel ofthe display device may also be reduced.

Alternatively, in the present exemplary embodiment, the first width W1of the bending region P2 may be formed to be constant. As shown in FIG.2, the first width W1 is shown to be constant from the display region P1toward the pad region P3.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the firstwidth W1 of the bending region P2 may have various shapes as shown inFIG. 12 to FIG. 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the first width W1of the bending region P2 may be increased from the display region P1toward the pad region P3. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 13, the firstwidth W1 of the bending region P2 may be decreased from the displayregion P1 toward the pad region P3.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the first width W1 of thebending region P2 may be decreased and then increased from the displayregion P1 toward the pad region P3. For example, the bending region P2may have a shape in which the width of a center part is smaller thanthat of both ends of the bending region P2. However, in FIG. 14, oneside of the edge of the bending region P2 may be disposed in a straightline, while in FIG. 15, one side of the edge of the bending region P2may be disposed in a curve. In contrast, the first width W1 of thebending region P2 may be increased, and then decreased from the displayregion P1 to the pad region P3.

Again referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of connection wires CL may bedisposed in the bending region P2. As described above, a plurality ofconnection wires CL may be connected to the plurality of signal linesand may extend from the periphery area PA to the pad region P3 throughthe bending region P2. Also, the plurality of connection wires CL may beconnected to the plurality of pad terminals PAD of the pad region P3.For example, a clock signal is transmitted through the plurality of padterminals PAD from an external source, and the transmitted clock signalmay be transmitted to the scan circuit that may be disposed in thedisplay region P1 through the plurality of connection wires CL.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, adjacentconnection wires among the plurality of connection wires CL of thebending region P2 may be disposed at different layers. Referring to FIG.5, the first connection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2adjacent to each other among the plurality of connection wires CL may beformed within different layers.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, when the first connectionwire G1 and the second connection wire G2 are formed at the differentlayers, either the first connection wire G1 or the second connectionwire G2 may be connected to either the first pad terminal PAD1 or thesecond pad terminal PAD2 through a contact hole CT.

For example, the first pad terminal PAD1 and the second pad terminalPAD2 adjacent to each other among the plurality of pad terminals PAD maybe formed as part of the same layer. For example, the first pad terminalPAD1 and the second pad terminal PAD2 may be formed of the same metal.Further, the first pad terminal PAD1 and the second pad terminal PAD2may be disposed at the same positions, and for example, may be disposedon the insulating layer and separated from each other.

In addition, the first connection wire G may be formed from a differentlayer than the first pad terminal PAD1. For example, the secondinsulating layer GI2 may be disposed between the first connection wireGI1 and the first pad terminal PAD1. According to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, the first connection wire G1 andthe first pad terminal PAD1, that are disposed within different layers,may be electrically connected through the contact hole CT formed in thesecond insulating layer GI2.

Alternatively, the second connection wire G2 may be formed within thesame layer as the second pad terminal PAD2. For example, the secondconnection wire G2 and the second pad terminal PAD2 may be formed of thesame metal and within the same layer.

The first connection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2 aresequentially disposed on the substrate SUB. For example, the secondinsulating layer GI2 may be interposed between the first connection wireGI1 and the second connection wire G2. The first insulating layer GI1may be disposed between the substrate SUB and the first connection wireG1.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the firstinsulating layer GI1, the second insulating layer GI2, and the thirdinsulating layer ILD, each disposed on the bending region P2, may beorganic layers. For example, the first insulating layer GI1, the secondinsulating layer GI2, and the third insulating layer ILD may each beformed of the organic layer. By forming the first insulating layer GI1,the second insulating layer GI2, and the third insulating layer ILD ofthe organic layer, that is relatively soft compared with an inorganiclayer, on the bending region P2, fewer cracks may be generated in theinsulating layer of the bending region P2.

However, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention,the first insulating layer GI1, the second insulating layer GI2, and thethird insulating layer ILD, disposed on the bending region P2, are eachformed of the organic layer. However, the present invention it is notlimited to this particular arrangement, and at least one of the firstinsulating layer GI1, the second insulating layer GI12, and the thirdinsulating layer ILD, may be formed of the organic layer. For example,only one of the first insulating layer GI1, the second insulating layerGI2, and the third insulating layer ILD might be formed of the organiclayer, or only two layers thereof may be formed of the organic layer.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the firstconnection wire G1 may be formed within the same layer as the first gatewire GW1 of the display panel 100. Further, the second connection wireG2 may be formed of the second gate wire GW2 of the display panel 100.

When the first connection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2 areformed within the same layer, if an interval between the firstconnection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2 is decreased, apossibility of the first connection wire G1 and the second connectionwire G2 being short-circuited is increased. Moreover, the extent towhich the interval of the first connection wire G1 and the secondconnection wire G2 can be reduced may be further limited by thelimitations of the etching process.

However, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, asthe first connection wire GI1 and the second connection wire G2 areformed within different layers, a second interval T2 of the firstconnection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2 may be minimized.For example, even if the second interval T2 of the first connection wireG1 and the second connection wire G2 is reduced, the possibility of thefirst connection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2 of thedifferent layers being short-circuited is decreased. Further, if thesecond interval T2 between the first connection wire G1 and the secondconnection wire G2 is minimized, the width of the bending region P2where the plurality of connection wires CL are disposed may be reduced.Also, the second interval T2 between the first connection wire GI1 andthe second connection wire G2 may be minimized such that a density ofthe connection wire may be increased.

However, as shown in FIG. 8, the plurality of connection wires G3 mayeach be formed within the same layer. In this case, each line width ofthe plurality of connection wires G3 may be formed to be smaller thaneach line width of the plurality of connection wires G1 and G2 of FIG.5. By decreasing the line width of the plurality of connection wires G3like the case in which the plurality of connection wires G1 and G2 areformed with the different layers, the width of the bending region P2 maybe reduced.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the firstconnection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2 are formed as twodistinct layers, however they may alternatively be formed as three,four, or more distinct layers.

Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of pad terminals PAD may be disposed inthe pad region P3. In this case, the pad region P3 may have a planeshape of a quadrangular shape.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the firstinterval T1 between the first pad terminal PAD1 and the second padterminal PAD2 adjacent to each other among the plurality of padterminals PAD may be formed to be larger than the second interval T2between the first connection wire G1 and the second connection wire G2.Resultantly, when viewed on a plane, the plurality of connection wiresCL may be disposed more densely than the plurality of pad terminals PAD.In this case, the first interval T1 may be formed to be larger than thesecond interval T2 by a factor of about 2 to 4.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 2, the flexible circuit board 400 maybe bonded to the plurality of pad terminals PAD. The flexible circuitboard 400 may be mounted with the first driving chip 410 used to drivethe display panel 100. In this case, the flexible circuit board 400 maybe a chip-on-film (COF) board.

The flexible circuit board 400 may be of a type in which a plurality ofmetal wires are formed on a flexible base film.

The first driving chip 410 may be mounted to the base film to generatethe driving signal. For example, the first driving chip 410 may be thescan driving circuit generating the scan signal or the data drivingcircuit generating the data signal by receiving the control signal froman external source. For example, the above-described gate driver 210 ordata driver 230 may be formed in the first driving chip 410.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, theflexible circuit board 400 of the COF type is bonded to the pad regionP3, or alternatively, a second driving chip 500 of the COG type or theCOP type may be disposed in the pad region P3. For example, the seconddriving chip 500 may be mounted to the pad region P3.

Referring to FIG. 16, the second driving chip 500, like the firstdriving chip 410, may be the scan driving circuit generating the scansignal and the data driving circuit generating the data signal byreceiving the control signal from an external source. For example, theabove-described gate driver 210 or data driver 230 may be formed in thesecond driving chip 500.

In this case, the second driving chip 500 may be disposed in the padregion P3, and the second driving chip 500 may be bonded with theplurality of above-described pad terminals PAD. Further, a plurality oflower pad terminals PAD_LD bonded with the flexible circuit board 400may be disposed on a lower end of the pad region P3. For example, thesecond driving chip 500 may be connected to the plurality of lower padterminals PAD_LD through separate wiring formed in the pad region P3.

In the display device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the first width W1 of the bending region P2 is formedto be narrower than the second width W2 of the pad region P3, therebyreducing the size of the bezel occupying the periphery of the displayregion P1 and/or reducing the size of the case that encloses theperiphery of the display region P1 in the display device.

While this invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the disclosedembodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: a single, unitarysubstrate including a first region in which an image is displayed, asecond region in which a plurality of pad terminals are disposed, and abending region being configured to bend along a bending axis whichextends in a first direction and disposed between the first region andthe second region; and a plurality of pixels and a plurality of signallines disposed in the first region; and wherein the plurality of padterminals are electrically connected to the plurality of signal lines,wherein a first width of the bending region, at its widest point, in thefirst direction, is narrower than a second width of the second region inthe first direction, and wherein the bending region is bent such thatthe second region overlaps the first region.
 2. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the first region has a rounded edge in a portionadjacent to the bending region.
 3. The display device of claim 1,wherein the bending region is bent such that the substrate of thebending region faces itself.
 4. The display device of claim 1, whereinthe bending region is bent such that the first region and the secondregion are perpendicular to each other.
 5. The display device of claim1, wherein the first width of the bending region is substantiallyidentical over the entirety of the bending region.
 6. The display deviceof claim 1, wherein the first width of the bending region is larger atan area closer to the second region than at an area closer to the firstregion.
 7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first width of thebending region is smaller at an area closer to the second region than atan area closer to the first region.
 8. The display device of claim 1,wherein the first width of the bending region is smaller at a centralarea between the first region and the second region than at both an areathat is closer to the first region and at an area that is closer to thesecond region.
 9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first widthincreases and then decreases from the first region toward the secondregion.
 10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first region hasa substantially circular shape.
 11. The display device of claim 1,wherein the first region has a substantially oval shape.
 12. The displaydevice of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of connection wiresdisposed within the bending region and connecting the plurality ofsignal lines to the plurality of pad terminals.
 13. The display deviceof claim 12, wherein: the plurality of connection wires includes a firstconnection wire and a second connection wire adjacent to the firstconnection wire, and the first connection wire and the second connectionwire are disposed within a same layer.
 14. The display device of claim12, wherein the plurality of connection wires is disposed within aplurality of layers.
 15. The display device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of signal lines transmits a scan signal or a data signal. 16.The display device of claim 1, further comprising a flexible circuitboard bonded with the plurality of pad terminals and disposed within afirst driving chip on one surface.
 17. The display device of claim 1,further comprising a second driving chip disposed within the secondregion and electrically connected to the plurality of pad terminals. 18.The display device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of organic lightemitting elements are disposed within the first region.
 19. The displaydevice of claim 1, wherein the second region has a substantiallyquadrangular shape.
 20. The display device of claim 1, wherein the firstregion has a substantially quadrangular shape.
 21. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein an image is displayed in the first region.